The Inspiration Comes When You Least Expect It
by armoiise
Summary: On a search of finding his way with art again, an unexpected encounter turns things around for Yami. The story of how a boy tired of the people around him when he was all alone, and a girl who was all alone in a sea of people fell in love. A short and sweet fanfic for your fluffy needs
1. Nothing

**Hello party people! I've been absent for a while and I have a very simple explanation for that: school. But I'm planning on spending the spring break productively.**

 **Nowadays I don't have any time to sit and write but I did come up with a few ideas and plots; and I've been tinkering with this one. Let's just give this a shot.**

 **I don't own YGO.**

 _Holding onto a wall._

 _No. Erase._

 _Reaching upwards._

 _Yes, that's good._

 _Maybe add a rope?_

 _No. Erase. She's supposed to be holding onto the hope of surviving._

 _No rope. Nothing._

 _Just... the light._

 _The only thing keeping her from giving up and letting herself being consumed by the shadows surrounding her._

 _Okay, arm template is ready. Now, structure._

 _Bony. Skin battered and dirty. A trail of blood._

 _Or is the blood too much?_

 _I'll just add it anyway._

He carefully moved his pencil on the paper to create a thin line of blood, dripping from a slit on the girl's wrist, trailing down to her elbow.

He took a moment to observe the new changes.

 _Feels like too much._

He leaned back on the chair, closed his eyes.

There was something happening to him, he couldn't draw like he used to anymore. Nothing he did satisfied him, and he couldn't get any drawings done without changing the details every other second. The piece would not turn out as he had imagined, that is, if he ever would finish it. Most of his sketchbooks were full of halfway done sketches.

He looked back at the sketch of the woman in front of him.

It had started as a pure project. He had just wanted to draw a beautiful woman, sitting in peace. And it was going as planned at first. The woman was there, he had no problems with drawing the human anatomy. And he was thinking of adding a starry sky behind her. She could gaze up and watch the shimmering sky.

Then, suddenly, that didn't seem enough. And in an instant, the woman sitting in peace was instead attacked by strings of shadows, crawling from the darkness around her. Her entire posture was changed. She wasn't sitting anymore, rather, attempting to run. And her hands that originally sat on her knees, were now reaching out.

She didn't have the faint smile that he had tried so hard to perfect, she was screaming. And her eyes wasn't closed as if she was in a tranquil environment, soaking in the silence. No.

She was horrified at what she was seeing, and what was happening to her.

How did his drawing become something so tragic, he didn't know. He just went along with it. Like many of his works, this one also had many changes along the way, and now have become something else.

A knock on his door brought him back to world, and he sighed. "Sorry." he apologized to his own creation, as if that could make it better for the desperate girl.

His mother came in, happy to see her son out of bed and in his uniform. "You're up early today. And here I was coming to wake you."

"Yeah, I wanted to see if drawing at an earlier hour would help." he muttered and closed the notebook, then put it in his backpack. "It didn't."

"Well, of course. You have to have breakfast first, you know, fill the tank." she said and nudged the boy's shoulder jokingly. "And your fuel is waiting for you downstairs."

"Thanks mom."

He stood up from the chair he was sitting, tumbled at first from sitting down for too long, then went out of the room.

As he tried to eat as much as he could, he tried to pinpoint an exact reason why he couldn't draw as good.

Had he lost his talent?

That couldn't be it, because he only saw improvement in the way he held the pencil.

Maybe he had just lost interest in drawing?

That wasn't it either though, he _wanted_ to draw. The fact that he couldn't was the problem.

He thought of his latest drawings. They were just scribbles that he had forced himself to draw, because he had a rule of drawing at least one thing every day.

What if... that was the problem? What if he didn't like what he was doing because he was forcing himself to do it? Because art was something that was supposed to give him joy, but it wasn't anymore because...

Yami Moto, 17 years old, Japanese, high school student.

Drawing had been his passion since he first learned how to hold a pencil.

And now, after countless doodles and scribbles and sketches and drawings and paintings, for the first time, he was out of inspiration.


	2. Pleasant

**So yeah, this one is going to be a Servantshipping one.**

 **I don't own YGO.**

 _Look at the teacher._

 _He made eye contact. Nod._

 _Look at the clock._

 _Time hasn't passed._

 _Look at the teacher._

 _Make eye contact._

 _He turned around._

 _Look at the clock._

 _A minute has passed?_

 _God._

Yami averted his eyes to outside. He really didn't understand what people found in looking out the window when they were bored. If anything, this was more depressing. It just reminded him that he _wasn't_ outside, but inside the classroom, bored out of his mind.

He usually would be in the middle of a sketch right about now, but...

What would he even draw?

He found himself asking that question a lot. Normally he wouldn't have to think of anything specific. His hand would start drawing without needing instructions, working with his mind at the same time.

Now, he was still ready to draw, but his mind was giving him nothing.

 _Look at the teacher._

Something have to have changed.

 _Look at the clock._

Or, something must be changed?

 _Look at the teacher._

But he was fine. Everything in his life was going smooth. The family environment in his house was good. He had his mother to support him through anything. He was doing... okay in academics. He didn't have any quarrels with anyone. He was just himself.

Nothing needed to change.

 _Look at the clock._

Then, if nothing has to change, then maybe it's just...

 _Look at the teacher._

 _Lacking something?_

The sudden knock on the door interrupted the teacher's lecture, and Yami's train of thought, and he, like the rest of his classmates, gave his attention to the door.

The guidance counselor came in, and a girl none of them met before followed her. This girl, without a doubt attracted a lot of interest compared to the lecture; with her long and and blonde hair that made her stick out from the crowd, big green eyes and rosy cheeks. Her posture and physique was in place, and she gave off a surprisingly energetic vibe.

"Everyone! We have a new student joining us today. Please make her feel welcome to our school." She put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Why don't you introduce yourself, dear?"

The girl straightened and clapped her hands together in front of her. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you! I'm Kuro Machi, and I can't wait to get to know you."

 _Ha. Please. I've been in the same class with the same people for three years now and even I don't know some of them._

"I'm sure the class is excited to get to know you too. But for now, I think I shouldn't interrupt the lesson any longer. I'll be in the office if you need me." said the woman and left the girl standing next to the teacher, while he was looking over the classroom.

Yami knew what he was looking for. And he could guess what he would say.

He wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

"Alright, Kuro. Why don't you sit at the empty seat at the back of the classroom? The bell is about the ring in a few moments, then you'll meet with everybody."

"Sounds good to me. Thank you."

He was right. She was coming for the only empty seat, the one he was sitting at by himself. Again, the girl wasn't the problem, he just preferred sitting alone. Nevertheless, he moved his bag from the chair and let the girl settle in her new seat.

"Hey," she whispered. "Sorry you had to move your stuff because of me." Her voice had genuine concern in it, making Yami feel guilty.

"Oh, don't worry about that. The school's floors are cleaner than my old backpack." Yami whispered back.

She chuckled, and Yami appreciated her smile. It reminded him of the times he would make his friends burst with laughters with the jokes he would make.

"Okay, okay. Hectic hair and dirty backpack. Anything else I should know about you?"

"Well, when I meet someone new I usually go with asking their names first."

"Right... that too." She checked the teacher and seemed glad that he hasn't caught up on their chattering. "Kuro Machi."

"Yeah, I heard. Muto Yami."

"Nice to meet you then, Muto-kun."

From up close, she looked even more vibrant. Long eyelashes, millions of different shades of green in her doe eyes, no scars, freckles, or blemishes on her pale face. She didn't have any bags under her eyes. And she wasn't wearing any makeup.

Yes, as a person, Yami would admit that upon observing... she was pretty. But that was just an observation. He was an artist. He had an eye for things that were pleasant to look at.

She moved to get her stuff out of her bag, and Yami returned to his cycle of looking at the teacher and then the clock.

Where was he?

Oh, yes.

 _Lacking_ something.

His art, his _life_ was missing something.

But what?

 **Yes, I named her "Machi", I was trying to come up with names and this kind of formed in my brain. You know, like, "machi" instead of**

 **"magi-cian". And "kuro" means black. So. Yep.**


	3. Hideout

**I don't own YGO!**

There were missing puzzle pieces in Yami's life, he knew that. Like, how he had never seen his father. Or how he lost his friends over time. The things that were a big deal once upon a time. Now, not so much.

He had learned to live without a father figure, it made him cherish his mother for being such a brave and strong woman, and make sure that _his_ children wouldn't have to go through the things in life without him, like he had to.

A life with one parent used to bore him, make him feel lonely. At those times he would search for the rescue of his friends. The ones that that he swore he would never let down.

It was a shame, really, that his friends hadn't been as loyal as he was.

No one was to blame, Yami admitted. People change as the time goes. He didn't blame them for growing up, and they didn't blame him for growing apart from them. In the end, no one was hurt.

And none of the missing things in his life that he was aware of had never affected the way he drew. If anything, he believed that the problems made him a better artist. Using art as a way of expressing feelings had always worked for him, that was why he was so fond of drawing. It made it easier to move on from things.

So, that was it... then?

 _My life has become so dull, that there aren't anything to express my emotions towards?_

He heard footsteps coming his way, and turned around to see who it was.

The rooftop was Yami's go-to place to have some alone time or draw; simply because it was usually empty. But on that particular day, which he would remember until the end of his days for being the start of the best thing that ever happened to him, it wasn't.

"Oh, I - I'm sorry, I was looking for uh... nevermind! Sorry again!" Machi stammered, and disappeared behind the wall, before Yami called out to her.

"Ma- Kuro-san! Hey!" He didn't know why he even bothered, he would've been much more comfortable by himself.

A set of eyes peered from behind the wall, and Machi appeared again, questioning.

"If you're looking for somewhere to hide from everybody, you won't find anywhere better."

Machi smiled softly, and walked over to the platform he was sitting upon. "Is it that obvious?"

"No, just a lucky guess." Yami said, watching her sit down next to him. "Also, I would've been looking for a hideout too if I were being bombarded with stupid questions."

"I wouldn't call them stupid questions, they are just..." she thought of a word to gently describe her new classmates. "They are just questions. And I'm happy to answer them. It just-"

"Becomes unbearable when they all come at you at once. I get it." Yami leaned back and set his hands at his sides. "Don't worry. They're just bothering you this much because you're a pretty girl. Soon they'll get over your looks and you can focus on the people who are actually interested in you."

"You think... I'm pretty?" she asked in a shaky voice.

A blush was glowing on her pale cheeks, and it didn't go by unnoticed by Yami. "Everyone does."

"Um. Thanks?"

"So, aside from being chased nonstop, how's your week going?" Yami asked, avoiding the awkward silence. He really hadn't meant it to make her feel weird, he was just expressing an opinion.

"I would say... okay. The school itself is fine, haven't met a nag teacher yet, our classmates are... friendly."

"Clingy." He corrected her, and earned a chuckle.

"I'm making new friends. I met everyone our year already."

To that, Yami scoffed. "You didn't need to do that. Seriously, most people here are just a waste of space."

"No, look at this way; I like to make as much as acquaintances as I can, you'll never know who will you need at an emergency."

Yami fell silent. That was why she was talking to him then.

He closed his eyes, and tried to make the best of his remaining minutes before classes would start. He could hear Machi shuffling silently, and he concentrated on her movement, trying to guess what she was doing just by listening to it.

"Muto-kun?" she asked a while later. "Do you eat your lunch here?"

Then his eyes fluttered open, and saw her looking at his lunchbox. "Yes. The cafeteria is always crowded, and gives me a headache. It's much more peaceful here."

Machi seemed to ponder over his answer, then she looked up suddenly, locking eyes with him. "Then, can I eat here with you? I agree with you, the first few days at the cafeteria took a toll on me; the bustling, the noise-"

"The stupid questions..." Yami cut in.

"...Yes, the attention too, even though I'm glad people like me."

Yami shook his head, and grabbed his lunchbox. "It's not like I own here, Kuro-san."

"No but, you were here first. It's been only a few days since I came here, I would feel terribly bad if I disturbed you. Especially after you let me stay here when I needed the silence the most. So yes, I can come here whenever I want but I don't want you to get mad at me, or at yourself for inviting me."

"You're overthinking right now. But to ease your mind, I'll just say that I'm completely okay with you coming here." He stood up, then reached his hand to help Machi. "Just... it would be better if you didn't bring anybody. I don't need this place to be crowded too."

"Yes, yes. Of course. I won't."

She smiled widely and took his hand.


	4. Bond

**I don't own YGO!**

After their first time spending time together on the rooftop, Yami found himself getting more and more excited about lunchtime every day, when he and Machi would pack their stuff and walk up to the roof.

Time seemed to slip past when he was with her. They would eat in semi-hurry, often competing to see who would finish their lunch first. Then they would spend rest of the break gazing at the city, talk about classes and teachers, exams and homeworks; how Jounouchi and Otogi's fights annoyed them both, how they should have been taking art classes instead of PE and how it would've been more productive; sometimes Yami would tell her all about the drama she had missed before she transferred, and Machi would blabber on about the crazy stories that happened at her old school.

And they would discuss things too. For instance; Machi, who liked her art messy and wild, kept saying that the drawings Yami did without color looked unfinished. On the other hand, Yami, a perfectionist when it came to drawing, believed that the untamed way Machi painted looked disoriented, therefore, not relaxing to look at.

It didn't get in the way of their friendship though.

"You should come over some time." Yami suggested, after taking one of the apple slices she had.

"To your house?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's good spending time with you like this, but we're limited to just an hour here. I thought that maybe if we were somewhere else...?"

Machi stared and blinked at him. He hoped that he she didn't get the wrong idea. "Okay, I'll come. But only if you promise to come to mine next time."

And that was the moment their friendship took another step.

Machi, being spontaneous as always, had decided to go to Yami's house right that day, after school. He was alright with it. And he knew his mother would be more than alright with it. She was always encouraging him to be friendlier and outgoing, and kept reminding him that she would be happy to have his friends as guests.

But of course, like he supposed it would, there had been a misunderstanding.

His mother, the sweetest, was caught off-guard when she first saw Yami, and the prettiest girl she had ever seen his age with him.

"Hey mom. It's alright if Machi hangs out here for a while, right?"

"Machi... Oh, of course! Come in."

Yami kicked his shoes off in a haste, then waited for Machi to introduce herself. She, unlike Yami, carefully took off her shoes, then placed it near the wall. Turning to Yami and his mother, she smiled sweetly.

"It's really nice to meet you," she bowed halfway, "I'm Kuro Machi."

"You don't have to bow, Machi-chan." The woman put her hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. I'm very happy to have you here. Are you guys hungry? You're just in time; I just finished cooking."

Hearing the words, Machi excitedly followed the woman to the kitchen before Yami could say anything. During that time, while Machi and his mother were having a conversation, Yami was distracted by Machi.

He had thought that she wouldn't like the attention that his mother would eventually give her, but it looked like the opposite. Machi was really interested in his mother, eagerly tasting every dish being served to her, and trying to maintain a conversation still.

Yami was almost convinced that his mother had just stolen Machi from him. Luckily for him, their chattering came to an end, Yami literally dragged her to his room.

It confused Yami, that she had been so insistent on that his mother joined them too. He even felt a little jealous.

But when it was time for him to go to her house, it finally made sense.

The Kuro House was... huge. At first he had thought they were entering an apartment complex, but they weren't. It had surprised him when Machi told him that it was only her family living in there.

Well, Machi's family was a big one. There was Machi, her parents, grandparents, and five siblings. Twin sisters five years older than her, and three little boys.

When Machi opened the door, "Machi brought her boyfriend!" was the first thing he heard.

"What?! Kai, you better hide, because if I find you things will not be good for you!" Machi yelled, then turned to Yami. "I'm sorry for that."

"It's fine. It's how little boys are. I should know, I was one once." he grinned.

"Wow, never would have imagined." she played along, then noticed that he was looking for a shoe rack. "Oh, um, keep your shoes on."

On their way to Machi's room, one of the many doors in the corridor opened, and Yami saw two identical girls, staring at them. Both of them had short and straight raven hair, but their eyes were similar to Machi's.

"No fair, you get to bring your boyfriend home?"

"For the last time, he is not my boyfriend! Just because he's a guy that doesn't mean I will automatically date him." Machi then held his wrist and this time _she_ dragged him into _her_ room. "Also, it wouldn't have mattered if he _was_ my boyfriend, Naomi. No one cares who you bring here anyway."

Yami then started to connect the pieces.

"You'll have to excuse Naomi and Nora too. But good news; my other brothers are babies, so they will not be bothering you." She smiled, before it came to her. "Of course, they're babies. They cry a lot. But other than that you're good."

Yami didn't mind. Machi looked like she had her hands full with her siblings, so he tried his best to make himself comfortable, for Machi's sake. While he was looking around her room, he saw a charcoal set lying on her desk, a very expensive one of that. Needless to say, he was intrigued.

"Machi, can I just try this out?"

The girl walked up to him, and looked at what he was referring to.

"Sure. You can even take it home if you want."

"No, that's not what I asked."

Machi huffed. "I have five of those, Yami. Just take the set. I don't even like charcoal."

"Then why did you buy so much of it?"

"I didn't. It's the way my parents apologize. They miss an event or forget something about me, then buy the first drawing set they see to make it up. I'm not even mad anymore, I just wish they would at least try to remember the art I supplies I use, so they wouldn't go to waste."

Yami was speechless. He never would have guessed that Machi was dealing with family issues. He scolded himself, for never asking how she was doing, or feeling. It had always been about having a good time for them, but Yami knew he could offer more.

"Here." Machi took out a bag, and held it open. "I'm even giving you a bag to carry your new set in." she grinned. Her smile broke Yami's heart and without thinking, he stepped forward, and pulled her to him, embracing her in a way that he was hoping she was comfortable with. And she must have been, because her arms wound around him a few seconds after.

"If you want to talk I can listen." he said, and let her go when she looked up at him. "Our friendship doesn't have to be all about goofy stuff. You can tell me things, and I'll listen to you, whatever it's about, whenever you want."

This time a real, genuine smile grew on her face. Yami liked it better.

"Thank you. I'll come to you if I ever need it."

The relationship between them became more intimate after Yami's visit to her house. Their time was not limited to lunchtimes anymore, they preferred going to each other's houses. More often to Yami's, since Machi claimed that they kept getting disturbed at her house.

Yami assumed the real reason was that his mother cared more for Machi than her own family members ever did, upon observation, but he could never ask her if his hunch was right.

It didn't matter to him anyway. So long as he was with Machi, he didn't care where they were.


	5. The Almost First Kiss

**I don't own YGO!**

He loved Machi.

Sweet Machi, kind and gentle, generous, smart, forgiving; a little bit childish at heart, but mature when she needed to be. She was incredibly talented, from drawing to painting, singing to dancing, solving puzzles to creating her own mind games. Great at hiding her emotions and faking happiness, but very open to Yami, who was willing to listen to whatever's bothering her.

He hadn't realized it at first. When he realized he always wanted to be with her, when he wanted to hold her hand, kiss her cheek, hug her tight; got an uneasy feeling whenever someone tried to pull her away from him, even if it was for a short time, it didn't come to him that he might be feeling different towards her.

It was when he started drawing again.

He had been doing the things he was used to, just letting his mind and hand work together. His head had wandered far away, he wasn't concentrating on what he was actually drawing. It was his mother that pointed it out.

"Ah, you're drawing Machi?"

"No, I..." _Am I?_

"Are you sure? I think it resembles her."

When he took a good look at the unfinished sketch, which was just a head, a set of eyes and random lines to remember where the hair would go; he could see Machi. If he added specks of green to her eyes, some pink dust on the cheeks, it did look like her.

To that realization he had just closed the sketchbook and put it away, next to his other unfinished projects.

It was clear to him, that he would not dwell thoughts on it. He wasn't going to think about it, not going to tell Machi about it. This matter was not up for debate, he didn't want to lose Machi over some dumb crush.

But like most guys who fell for their best friends, he just couldn't get over it. He slowly started to admit that she was there, and he was there for her and they were perfect together. It became harder to think otherwise, leading to awkward moments between him and her. Machi was starting to pick up on some of his different moves, but it wasn't like Yami was trying to hide it. He just wasn't openly admitting anything.

Yami found it most difficult when she wasn't around though. When she was, he was with her. When she wasn't, she was on his mind still. He kept thinking and thinking about her, Machi looking absolutely adorable whenever she put her hair in a bun, Machi sticking her tongue out when she defeats him in a game, Machi laughing her heart out, Machi singing a song, Machi jumping on her bed, Machi leaning her head on his shoulder, Machi trembling and moving closer for his warmth, Machi saying his name, Machi's soft hands, Machi's eyes, Machi's smile. Machi. He fell asleep thinking of her, woke up with her on his mind still.

And learning that she loved him too was a surprise, and possibly something he wasn't supposed to know.

The things leading to the moment he found out had started when they were at his house, sleeping. Being tired from walking around the city all day, they were just going to take a nap, before they had to wake up again so that Yami could take Machi to her house.

They were sprawled on the two sides of the couch, sharing one blanket. Their sleep had been comfortable, but waking up was horrible. Machi had opened her eyes to beaming lights. It was the lights on the ceiling that Yami's mother had opened, with worry on her face.

"Machi dear, it's very late at night. Do your parents know you're here?"

And Yami had woken up to Machi's scream.

"They don't! I was supposed to be home... 4 hours ago?! I'm so late! Yami, you said you set an alarm?"

Checking his phone, Yami sighed. "The battery is dead."

Scared and angry, Machi left in a hurry. He wasn't sure if she was mad at him or not, but when he called her half an hour later to check up on her, she had dryly said "I'm home." and ended the call. That convinced him that she was mad at him, but it only got worse when the next day of school, she didn't show up. And the other day too.

She wasn't coming to school, wasn't answering his calls, straight up not communicating with him. He was worried that her parents went harsh on her for being late. That must have been it. Thay had grounded her, and took away her phone. With these new thoughts on his mind, Yami had decided to check up on her by going to her house.

One of her sisters, Nora or Naomi -he always mixed them up- had opened the door.

"Hey... uh... Nora?"

"Yes." she had anwered in an annoyed manner.

"Okay, good. I need to see Machi. She's not coming to school, or talking to me, and I need to see her."

"You know, maybe she just doesn't wanna talk to you, have you considered that?"

Now, if Yami hadn't know that Machi had no communication going on with her siblings he might have assumed Nora was implying the truth. But he knew Machi more than her sister thought he did.

"If that was the case Machi would have told me."

Nora had stared at him for a while, then reluctantly let him in. Yami had basically ran to her door, where he saw Naomi holding a tray with a bowl of soup on it.

"Hey Yami!"

"Naomi."

"Oh, I see you're getting better."

"Not really, I was just talking to Nora. What's with the soup? Is Machi not allowed to go out? Wait, did they lock her in her room?!" Yami was livid.

"What? No, why would we lock her? She's just sick, so I was going to feed her. But, since you're here, can you do it for me? I really don't want to go in her germ infected room."

Hearing she was sick made Yami feel worse. He had thought of the worst scenarios, but Machi had been bedridden all that time. So he took the tray from the girl, and walked into her room. The curtains were pulled, not letting any daylight in. It was dark in her room, the only light source was the lamp on her bed stand. He set the tray on the desk, and walked over to her bed. She was under her blanket, Yami could only see her hand that stuck out from under it. He took it, letting her know he was there by squeezing and noticing how warm it was. And she had sluggishly moved the blanket from her face.

"Yami?"

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He put his hand on her forehead, she was burning.

"Just amazing." she laughed. But it had sounded sad.

"You don't look like it."

Machi ignored him, turning to her other side. "Sleeping now."

Yami felt her neck, then thought for a while. She was laying under several blankets, and she had a sweater on. Her hairline was wet, she was sweating under all of those layers.

"Machi. Machi." He forced her to turn to him, then watched her drooping eyes. She was somewhere between sleeping and being awake. "Take off your sweater." he said, seeing that she was already wearing something underneath.

To that Machi giggled. "You're so naughty." she said, leaning up and poking his nose.

Her words effected Yami, and he couldn't help but go red. "No! I wasn't- not like that! If you keep putting on layers your fever is never going to pass."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, player."

Instead of watching her undress, because that was not something he would do, he got up and took some of the blankets off of her.

"Is this enough for you or do you want me to remove more?" she had asked boldly, sitting on her bed with pajama bottoms and a tank top.

"I guess... this is fine."

Yami went to her bathroom, and found a small towel to hold it under cold water. He returned with the damp towel, and after helping her lay down again, he wiped her face and neck with it.

"Cold, cold, COLD!"

"I know, but I have to. Right now, you need cold." He stopped at her collarbones, and gave the towel to her. "Here, um... do your chest, arms, wherever."

"Why do you have to do this anyway?"

"Well, to lower your temperature. It's better if you just take a cold shower, but you don't look like you can stand on your own, and your sisters are no help."

"And you?"

Yami decided to end that conversation there by not answering, he didn't like where it was going. "Are you hungry?"

Machi shook her head, and leaned up again, resting her back on the bed board. "Are you really here?"

"...Yes?"

"Liar. That's what you always say."

"What?"

Yami realized that Machi had clearly lost sense of what was real and what was a dream.

"That's what you always say... Like right now, I'll close my eyes, and when I open them again, you won't be here anymore."

And with the little power she had, Machi had lifted and wrapped her arms around his neck. Pulling herself closer to him, and her eyes closed, she kissed the corner of his mouth, before her head fell on his shoulder.

It had all happened so quickly. But it happened.

It took Yami a few minutes to realize she meant to _kiss_ him, even though she missed his lips by a few centimeters.

 _So close._

Machi was right, when she opened her eyes again he wouldn't be there. He really wished he could be, and he apologized to her as he left kisses on her face for leaving before she woke up. But Machi had thought it was a dream, and that he never actually came over and looked after her. And if that was the reason she had acted so bold, because she thought it was only a dream with no consequences, then he was going to let her. Otherwise Machi would be embarrassed for all the things she said, and of course, trying to kiss him.

So Yami let her think that it was a dream, only for _her_ to remember. And he would wait until she came to him to tell about the crazy dream she had where he went to her house to take care of her when she was sick. Then he would ask if anything else had happened. Maybe she would tell him about the kiss, maybe not.


	6. Is it raining outside?

**I don't own YGO!**

No one else deserved Machi other than him, Yami was convinced. On one of his many visits to her house to take care of her, he learned from Naomi what had happened that made Machi fall ill.

"It was... a week ago I think? We were having dinner, when she suddenly barged in the house." she said. "She started to apologize like crazy, and promised it wouldn't happen again. Then my dad asked why she was apologizing for. I think a little bit of Machi died when he did." Naomi said, shaking her head. "Apparently she missed her curfew by a few hours. My parents hadn't even noticed she wasn't home, so they let it go. I thought she would've been happy. But she looked so distraught when she left the dining room, I went to see what she was doing before I went to sleep. You're not going to believe; I found her sitting out on the balcony, in the middle of the storm! It was pouring outside and she was just... there. I forced her to come inside as soon as I saw her but I don't know how long she sat there."

"God... Did they really not know she wasn't home? What kind of parents..."

"It's how we live Yami. Nora and I experienced it first. Until Machi was born we were a happy little family, but after her birth they gave their attention to her and our grandparents started to take care of us. Same thing happened to Machi when Kai was born. And right now it's happening to Kai because of the new babies. He didn't realize it yet but our parents are starting to drift apart from him too."

The new information he had learned disgusted him, he felt pity for Machi. He wanted to snatch her away from that broken family right then and there. She didn't need anyone else, really. He could be anything or anyone she needed him to be. He could be her everything, just like she was his everything.

He entered her room with two cups of tea. Machi had shyly asked of him, and he had so eagerly delivered, because her wish was his command. She was getting better, at least she could now tell if she was dreaming or not.

"I'm such a burden right now, making you work like this. You could've been doing much better things than-"

"I will blame your sickness for these stupid thoughts. How many times do I have to say this; there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. Unless, you're doing it with me."

Her eyes went so soft, her fragile hand moved to hold his. Yami waited for her to say something, but she didn't. She had just wanted to hold his hand while she drank her tea. Yami wasn't complaining. He liked feeling her skin. Never in an inappropriate way though, never. In a way that he knew she liked it too.

"I don't understand how you got this sick. You were pretty good until that day we sleeped in."

He wanted to hear it from her. He wanted to know how she felt.

Machi's calm face gave its place to a stressed one. She stared at one place only, not moving, not blinking. After a minute or so she willed herself to speak. "I ran all the way here. It was windy. I was sweating and breathing in the cold air."

"Machi."

She looked at him, and immediately understood that he knew it already. Machi gulped, tears already forming in her eyes. "They didn't know I was gone, Yami. They didn't know that I was late." She wiped her eyes, still holding onto his hand. "Do you know what this means? What if something had happened to me? What if I wasn't with you, sleeping somewhere safe, but... I don't know, kidnapped? Murdered?" A single tear dropped from her cheek, Yami felt his heart ache. "They would have no idea. No one would know, no one would care." Machi covered her face with her hands, and tried to stifle her sobs as much as possible.

Seeing her like this was killing Yami. He could not believe her parents could be this irresponsible. They had _the_ perfect child, beautiful, smart, kind. Machi was a blessing in every way, and they were just slapping her away like nothing.

Machi was his best friend, his love. She meant more to him than anything, and he hated the thought of anything and anyone that would make her feel so worthless, like she was feeling right now, in front of him.

He wrapped her arms around her trembling body, and brought her closer when she moved her hands away from her face to accept him into her arms. Normally Yami would lean on her, and Machi would be the one holding them up, but this time Machi needed the support and Yami would give it to her. Because he would always be there for her.

Yami rubbed her back to sooth her, while kissing her head. "That's not true." he whispered, pressing his face to her disheveled hair. "I would be crushed if something like that happened. Not that it would ever happen, because I won't allow it."

Machi moved away a couple of inches to meet his eyes, keeping her arms around him. She looked so fragile, so small in his arms then. Yami held her tighter and closer, cupping her cheek. "You well know I wouldn't be able to spend one minute without you on this world. So don't do _anything_ stupid like trying to get hypothermia ever again."

She smiled weakly and buried her face in his neck. "I'm a total mess; I'm laughing, I'm crying, my nose is running and I can't really breath, I'm sweating so much but this room feels a bit chilly. I feel really uncomfortable but your whole body is just... so comfy."

 _What do you know, she likes to feel me too._

This was exactly how he liked it. He loved having Machi in his arms and Machi liked being in his arms.

"'I like this mess.'" he said and waited for a few seconds before he continued, "would be the perfect thing to say if I was a cheesy guy."

Machi giggled, and nestled in. "Less cheesy lines and more cuddles."

Yami couldn't have agreed more, as he abruptly turned around Machi to sit next to her and rest his back on the headboard.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I just remembered the worst part of hugging." To her raised eyebrow he smiled. "Letting each other go. So I will do you a favor, and wait here until you fall asleep."

It was more of a favor to himself, but Machi didn't need to know that.

As if she wasn't crying her heart out seconds ago, Machi beamed. "So I won't have to let go!" She excitedly scooted away to make room for Yami. "You're the best."

"I might be." he agreed, lying next to her.

He _was_ the best. The best person she had ever met, could ever meet, could ever love. Just like he wouldn't find anyone better than Machi. She was everything in one person. He really thought that he didn't need anyone else. Same went for Machi. She didn't need her sisters who only cared about her when she seemed _sad_ , and she definitely didn't deserve to get her heart broken by her careless parents.

But Yami knew she needed _him_ , and that was more than enough to make him feel as if he was the luckiest person who ever lived.


	7. Machi

**I don't own YGO!**

Thanks to Yami's care, Machi had returned to school in good health a week later. She was greeted by many people who asked her where she had been or what happened. She had simply answered by telling that she had been sick.

She was happy that so many people had wondered where she was or if she was okay. And because she had told everyone she had been sick, every person that came across her pretended as if she was royalty, or a newborn baby. She liked the attention, but none of it meant anything compared to the attention Yami gave her. It was him that had really cared for her. Yami, who took care of her, who had spent all of his free time with her so she wouldn't be alone, who did anything she asked of him, who endured her sisters' shenanigans, who offered her a shoulder to cry on, who listened to her. Yami, who was actually worried about her wellbeing.

Machi had been surrounded with people as far as she knew it. She was a beautiful baby, adored by many. As she started to grow older, her talents were coming onto the surface, surprising everyone. Her parents kept getting compliments about how cute she was, how smart or kind she was. And puberty had not messed her up at all. She was born a beautiful girl. She had not experienced awkward years of acne or bloating or voice cracking.

She was, in every way, perfect. Her life was perfect. Loving parents, wealth, good looks, attention.

Yes, she had lived the perfect life for 12 years. She sometimes remembered how happy she got, learning that she would have a little baby brother, because her big sisters didn't like to hang out with her. For some reason that was unknown to Machi, they just couldn't get along. But she was not going to be that kind of big sister, she knew that. She was going to love her baby brother and give him all of her time.

It was after a year or so that she realized why her sisters despised her so much. Seeing Kai in _her_ parents' arms made her feel like she was in second place. And she was. She was angry at a baby for stealing what rightfully belonged to her. And the second that she admitted her feelings towards her brother, she just wasn't angry anymore. She remembered being alone in the middle of the crowd. She remembered how much she cried because she couldn't connect with her sister. Machi had wanted so badly to be with them, to talk them about her life, the things that made her happy or sad. She remembered how much it hurt when they refused to make her a part of their life, even though they were family. Even though they shared the same blood.

Machi had promised to herself and to her little brother that she wouldn't do the same, that she would be in his life, that she would be his big sister. She would make sure he won't go through the things she did. She would care about him, worry whenever he was far away, and let him know that she loved him.

She had to transfer to a new school and coincidentally sit next to the person that gave her those things to her after years of isolation.

Machi put her head on the desk -she knew the teacher wouldn't bother her while she was sick- and started to watch Yami. He was looking at the board, but he wasn't actually there. He was thinking of something, but she couldn't tell what it was. Maybe a new drawing idea? What to eat for dinner? What movie to rent for when she would go to his house? She didn't know.

And since she didn't know what he was really thinking of, it was safe to assume that maybe... maybe he could be thinking of her. Maybe he was thinking of the day they slept in each other's arms. Or maybe the time when they shared ice cream? How about the time they tried to play DDR but failed because they were both out of shape? Or better, the day they met. She would be forever thankful for sitting next to that dork, accidentally going up to the roof and disturbing him while sat alone.

She extended her hand to hold his, disrupting from his thoughts. She gave it a gentle squeeze, he did the same too.

 _Think about me a little, won't you? Think about the day we sat at the beach to paint the sky, remember the songs we listened to, the shades of colors we used, how the sounds of the waves drifted us to a different world, where it was just us, and we were happy to be together. We were alone but together, and that's all that matters._

Machi was not a hopeless romantic. On the contrary, she had high hopes on what this friendship would bring. Although it didn't feel like friendship to her anymore. He wasn't acting like he was just a friend, and neither was Machi.

She held his hand tight, finding comfort knowing that his skin was under her fingers, and he was there with her. But just before her mind slipped into other thoughts about being skin to skin, the bell rang, and she dropped his hand. Abruptly raising her head, she turned around and pretended to look inside her bag to hide her blush.

"Machi? What happened? If you feel like throwing up let me take you to the nurse's office." Yami offered as he jumped up from his seat and held onto her waist to support her.

Feeling him holding her made matters worse for Machi, she could feel her whole face burning. But to not worry him she looked up. "No, no. I'm good. Just... checking if I have my... pencil case with me."

"It's on your desk Machi." Yami put his hands on her cheeks and frowned. "Still feels a bit hot to me. Maybe it's still a bit early for you to come to school."

"I told you, I'm fine, really." Machi shook her head to release it from his grasp, and stood up. "I'm perfect. I'll just go wash my face with cold water. That should help, right?"

To Yami's silent nod, Machi smiled and walked out of the classroom. She wasn't sure if the these thoughts that haunted her sometimes were appropriate for her to have. On one hand, it was her friend that she saw every single day. It led to her being awkward around him. But on the other hand, it was Yami. There was this thing going on between them that neither seemed to want to speak of.

"Kuro-chan! Kuro-chan!" Machi heard someone say. It was coming from a classmate calling out for her, Machi remembered her. She signaled her to come over, standing next to her friends. Machi walked over to her.

"Hey guys." Machi greeted happily, and eyed the girls around him. She had met all of them before, but their names were not coming to her.

"Kuro-san, it's good that you're feeling better again." said the girl with the black hair.

"I know, sitting around at my house all day was boring. I'm happy to be back."

Another girl with freckles and glasses spoke up. "We're happy you're back too. You literally disappeared when we needed you the most!"

"Really? How can I help you then?"

"I was wondering... um..." murmured a girl from between them. She was shorter than Machi, had auburn hair and brown eyes. She wasn't meeting her eyes. "If... uh..."

"She wants to know if Yami is single." blurted out the girl with black hair, putting her arm around the shorter one protectively. "Since you guys are close, we were wondering if you could help my little Momo."

The girl with freckles turned to her friends. "Wait, you're forgetting something." Then her hazel eyes found Machi's. "Are you guys dating? Because it's hard to tell."

 _I agree._

"I didn't even think of that!" quivered Momo and looked up. "I'm sorry if you are. I have no intentions of breaking you apart."

Machi breathed in and out deeply, and finally smiled. "He is... _single_. But I think he has someone on his mind already."

"Oh."

Machi felt bad for the girl, and held her hand. "Look, I don't know who he's interested in. I could be completely wrong about this. He doesn't really talk about his love life." She was giving her false hope, but leaving her with a broken heart could not possibly be her job. But for Momo's sake, she decided to talk to him about it after lunch.

"Do you have a crush on anyone?" she asked, the question coming out of nowhere.

He stared at her for a while, maybe not believing she would ever ask that. Then he grinned. "Why do you ask?"

"A girl told me she liked you."

A response he wasn't waiting for. He thought about before he answered. "Well, you can tell your friend that I don't have a crush on anyone."

She didn't show it, but Machi was confused. _But... we were together? Or were we not? Maybe I saw that in my dream too._

"Because, I wouldn't call it a crush. A crush is simple. Easy to move on from. What I feel for this girl is... not a crush. I'm head over heels in love with her in the sappiest way possible. She is my everything, and I aspire to be _her_ everything. Because we're together and that's all that matters."

Machi sighed, relieved.

"I won't tell you who she is though." he added snarkily.

"Why's that?"

"Because if you haven't figured it out already, then there's no point in telling you."

His eyes were playful, a smirk was teasing to form on his lips.

Machi wanted to kiss those lips.


	8. The Actual First Kiss

**I don't own YGO!**

 _Big, round eyes. Yes. That's it._

 _Now the tiniest nose._

 _And... she would have hair down. Why not? Leave some strands loose. Tuck her fringe behind her ear._

 _And of course, it wouldn't be my Machi if she didn't smile. So I'll give her one._

"Okay, I'm done."

"Me too." Machi put her pencil down and covered her doodle with her hand. "You first."

Yami showed her the little cartoon drawing he just drew of her. "You're outside my house, waiting for me to go out, and it's cold so your little nose is red." he explained. "And you're smiling because I finally walked out." He pointed at her hand. "If you would let me."

Machi removed her hand, and revealed the little cartoon of Yami. His eyes sharp and narrow, lips pouting. "And you are grumpy, either because you're angry at one of my family members again, or to go along with your story, I didn't dress appropriately for this cold weather and will get sick again."

"Yours is oddly spesific, but very accurate."

Machi smiled, then grabbed the drawing Yami did. "I'm keeping this. It's cute."

They've been hanging out at his house as usual. Machi had came over for breakfast, so it would be easier to go out together and walk around the city. But that week had tired them out, and feeling lazy they had decided to just spend the day home instead. It hadn't been too long since his mother had left, and now they were trying to come up with ideas to pass the time.

Yami stood up from the table and Machi wordlessly followed him. They ended up throwing themselves on the couch, Yami frantically looking for the remote.

"I don't feel like watching television."

"I'll just open a music channel. The silence bores me."

Yami found a radio channel that they sometimes listened to, and it started to play in the background. He got into a more comfortable position, and settled on watching Machi. She was looking somewhere else at the moment.

 _Sweet Machi._

Yami didn't know what they were or where they stood. He wanted to clarify the things between them. Sure, Machi seemed like she knew how he was feeling. And she was trying to signal him that she felt the same too. They didn't need to have an official talk about being more than friends, they already were. To Yami it seemed unnecessary. But it was the only thing keeping them from showing real affection towards each other, and Yami was bored of it.

He jumped up again and offered his hand to her. "Will you have this dance with me?" he asked, bowing.

If he was going to do this, then he had to make sure Machi remembered this moment as one of the most romantic ones they would ever have.

She took his hand, and Yami pulled her to him. He wasn't going for a ballroom dance. He hooked his arms around her waist, getting rid of the distance between them. Machi, confused, wrapped her arms around his neck anyway and hid her face by pressing her head on his chest.

"When you said 'dance' I didn't think we would waltz. Isn't this a pop song?"

"Hm? Oh, I guess it is. Doesn't matter though, I don't care about the song. I just wanted to dance." He kissed her head, and started to sway. "Tell me Machi, do we really have talk for an hour about our feelings, then our doubts about how our friendship may be broken if we dated, only to end up making out on the couch anyway?"

Machi wheezed, and her head shot up from his chest. "What?" Her wide opened eyes met his calm ones, and he smiled.

"I mean I personally don't think it would affect our friendship. But if you think we should then fine, I'll go through that awkward and boring conversation for you." Yami said, not averting his eyes. He was smiling but his voice alerted mockery. "In fact, I'll do the both parts myself and save you the trouble. Kuro Machi, I love you. And I know you love me. Our friendship is far too strong to let our emotions take control and break us up. So I'm not worried about a future where we just don't connect anymore. The feelings we have for-"

"Okay, you know what? This _is_ kind of boring. I remember you saying something about making out on a couch? Let's just skip to that." Machi said cheekily, and giggled.

Yes, she really was made for him.

Machi leaned up, and pressed her lips to his. To Yami's luck, this time she didn't miss.

Despite both of their bold and impatient nature, they weren't rushing. Yami didn't move his hands, still keeping her close. Machi didn't unwrap her arms, but she did move her hands up his hair. Their pace didn't pick up, Machi wanted to make their first kiss longer, and Yami wanted to appreciate how she tasted better. They stood in the middle of the living room for a long while, tangled together and lost in each other. And when Machi finally broke the kiss, it was to gently push and tackle him onto the couch.

 _The story of how a boy tired of the people around him when he was all alone, and a girl who was all alone in a sea of people fell in love._

 **There you have it folks. This was not a big project, just something short and sweet to keep me busy. I was going to continue this if it weren't for two things. One, I don't want to keep adding new chapters just for the sake of making it longer. I like this the way it is. Two, this was a Servantshipping week for me. For next week I'm thinking of doing Vaseshipping set in Ancient Egypt.**

 **Anyway, as always, feel free to let me know what you think, and stay sweet!**


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